NOTES

Dancing to the dollu in Hesaraghatta

Young women on the outskirts of Bengaluru excel at a Kannada drum-and-dance form long thought to be a skill for burly men. In the video here, watch the group perform with extraordinary energy and rhythm

"The boys aren't
that good at dollu kunitha,” says 15-year-old Vijayalakshmi, frankly. “We are better.”

They do seem to be. Lightly-built girls, heavy drums tied
around their slim waists, whirling around with the precision of seasoned
dancers, the agility of acrobats. At all times in perfect, pulsating rhythm and
sync.

They’re young
girls. The oldest amongst them aren’t adults yet. But the energy and ease with
which they pull off one the most physically demanding drum and dance forms is
stunning. Dollu kunitha is a popular folk dance in Karnataka. Dollu refers to drums, while kunitha means dancing in Kannada. It’s also called gandu kale – “men’s skill” or
“men’s art.” Burly men strap a drum as heavy as 10 kilograms around their
waist and dance in swift and sprightly movements. Conventional wisdom
holds that the dance requires the performers to be well-built men, high on
strength and stamina.

Well, that is until
some young women started to upend this tradition. Right here in Hesaraghatta, a place full of
paddy fields and gangly coconut trees out on Bengaluru’s edges, some 30
kilometres from the city centre. And tucked away in this green pocket is this
group of girls who are changing a cultural norm. Challenging the idea that dollu kunitha of this kind isn’t for women. They
have ignored the hoary myth, and embraced the heavy drum.

Watch video: Girls from all over south India, helped by an organisation to move away from a life on the street, perform dollu kunithawith drums as heavy as 10 kilos

The girls are from
all over south India. Helped to move away from a life on the streets in
different regions and states, Sparsha, a non-profit Trust has given them a home
and a second shot at life. They’re all receiving an education – and are also
deep into dancing and singing. They tear
through school books during the week. On weekends they dance to their own
drumbeats.

I’ve been waiting
in the hostel where they now live. They troop in – a bunch of smiling faces.
Surprising, how happy they look after a long day at school.

But before the
drums, school-talk and dreams: “Physics is easy,” says Kanaka V., 17, originally
from Tamil Nadu. Biology is the real struggle “because of all the English
jargon it has.” She likes science, “especially physics because everything we
learn is about our daily lives.” Yet, “I
have no long-term goals,” she says. And then adds, smiling, “I’ve been told
that those who have no idea are the ones who achieve the most.”

Narsamma S., 17,
says, “I love art. Drawing and designing are also my hobbies. I usually draw
mountains and rivers.
Growing up, I didn't have parents and used to pick waste. So, drawing nature is
very calming. It helps me forget my past," she says.

PHOTO •
Vishaka George

PHOTO •
Vishaka George

Narsamma (left) and Gautami (right) study during the week, but dance to their own drumbeats over the weekend

Narsamma was rescued from life as a garbage sorter at the age of nine from
Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh. She needs no prodding to talk about her many goals.
Fashion designing, nursing and acting, to name just a few. The moment in her new life she recollects
with most pride is when she played the role of a parent fighting child marriage
in a skit. “Why do parents do that to their children?” she asks. “It’s like
plucking a flower in bloom.”

PHOTO •
Vishaka George

Kavya (left) and Narsamma (right) are as energetic after the physically demanding dance as they were before it

As they speak, they’re also getting ready to dance, with barrel-like drums being tied on to their small waists, drums seemingly half or more their size.

And then – an energy explosion. A dance so physically demanding, it’s exhilarating to watch the seamless ease with which they move. Their energy is so palpable that I can’t stop myself from tapping my foot.

When they finish the dance, I, a mere viewer, feel a little exhausted just witnessing all the jumping. They show no tiredness, though, and have gone about the evening session like a stroll in the park. This group is involved in dollu kunitha as a recreational and cultural practice. They have not, so far, been in public events or drawn an income from the performance. But they easily could, should they choose to.

Vishaka George

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Vishaka George is a Bengaluru-based journalist who has worked with Reuters as a business correspondent. She is a graduate of the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, and is keen on covering rural India with a special focus on women and children.